Where Do You Live ?

By Life & Times guest blogger Tony Taylor

Since last November I have been living in midtown Manhattan predominantly and have really just come to the conclusion I really enjoy it and am happy being here. Here’s a list of some of the little things.
1) The Dry Cleaner comes to our building once a week to get our bags and returns everything back on hangers the next day.
2) Eating Greek, Turkish Food, Mexican, Indian, Morrocan, Italian, Chinese, and the best Texas BBQ within 1 block of my apartment, and they all deliver!
3) The street food, especially the Halal (Islam approved clean) stuff
4) I can Jump on the 4, 5, or 6 train and going anywhere on the East side
5) Running into George Takei ( Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu every time I go to Charles Tyrhitt to buy a shirt)
6) Seeing Marvin Hamlisch at the Curry Kitchen on 83rd, he seems to always be there
7) I am very shy about singing, but we go to these Korean or Filipino bars downtown and I now love doing Karaoke. My favorites to sing are “Gloria” by Them or Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon.” (if I don’t do it, one of the locals will start doing “Fry Me to Moon”
8) Hanging out in Queens in Greektown, Little Manila, or Russian Town and sampling all the indigenous food and alcohol of the region.
9) Walking Central Park on Sundays.
10) Walking to the 48th street music row and reverently playing and looking at all the amazing guitars. Just thinking about the amazing musicians that have been here, is inspiring.
11) The Village, aside from all the amazing live music and amazing shops and restaurants, during daytime, it is amazing to walk down some of the cobblestone streets between Washington Square Park and the IFC Theatre and all the trees and gardens you pass by NYU are so pretty, all the old wooden row houses are stunning.

Have you ever thought about certain things that really make where you live enjoyable? I’m curious to hear.

Van Halen: The True Story

By Life & Times guest blogger Tony Taylor

Since May of 1996 I have begun each and every day of my life with a ritual of first checking my email and secondly going to a website called vhnd.com. This stands for Van Halen News Desk. I realized that last week that I have spent each weekday of the last 10 years of my life keeping up with what I consider the greatest rock and roll band to ever come of out the States. Ever since I was a kid, I remember being in second grade and seeing all the 7th and 8th graders scrawling the classic VH logo all over their book covers, jeans, walls and anywhere else that would piss off our parents. Last week when Van Halen announced a tour with original singer David Lee Roth, I already started planning weekends in Chicago, and Charlotte to see shows and have already gotten my New York tickets. The people I know that get it, get it and the rest that do not understand how monumental this occasion is don’t understand the power of rock. When I was growing up, Rock and Roll was an event. In the 80s when The Who or The Stones came to your town, EVERYONE KNEW. Everyone wore the t shirts, bought the LPs, bought the pins for their denim jackets and it was good. When you were a kid in the Midwest and bought a Van Halen album you went to California.
This is a band that you knew about maybe because of their videos, maybe because of who their guitarist was married to or maybe because like me you just connected to the music and no matter what was going on in your life, if you were happy it made you elated and if you were feeling down, it made things sunnier. These songs made you feel invincible and remember who you were again. The story of this band is like an epic poem. You have two brothers that are half Dutch and half Malaysian coming to this country on a boat from Holland at ages 8 and 10 with 75 Dutch Guilders, a piano, and the little clothes they could afford. Their father would work as a janitor for 8 hours, a dishwasher for 8 hours, and then play Clarinet on weekends just to provide food and roof for his family. These kids couldn't communicate in English very well and were ostracized and begin spending all their time in their garage playing Cream and Dave Clark Five songs. A few years later they meet Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth (one of if not Rock’s greatest showman and frontman) and soon were playing backyard parties that would swell to 1,500 people to hear them play. This was rock and roll at its purest. They played at volumes that would make most American Idol contestants and judges cry and call their mothers to pick them up. To hear Edward Van Halen play guitar is like seeing Mozart or DeBussy. There is a connection between his heart and hands that defies explanation. They played the LA scene of the Whiskey and The Rainbow for years before getting discovered by Gene Simmons and went on to became the 19th highest selling artist in history. Around the world selling over 100 million albums. If the music doesn’t inspire you, hopefully the story does.

The Decline of Western Civilization III

By Life & Times guest blogger Tony Taylor

For last two months, I cannot turn on the TV, or even check my email without being inundated with the latest intelligence delineating the sordid lives of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Nicole Ritchie and Lindsay Lohan. I am more in tune with the lives of these three useless girls than some of my cousins. I have no idea how this happened. I don’t think it’s just me, it’s you too! How did this happen to us as a society?
I could understand us being interested in the lives of our favorite athletes, musicians, politicians and weathermen, but these young ladies are not of that ilk. I know Lindsay Lohan has a few movies under her belt, but I am sure the crux of her fame belies her substance issues rather than her stagecraft.
When I first started thinking about why these girls get so much attention, I first thought it was gender bias. Girls aren’t supposed to act like this, hence the attention. I’m sure on any given night of the week an Ozzy Osbourne or Robert Downey Jr in their heyday could put these girls substance abuse issues to shame. Is that it? Is that why these girls get so much news coverage? I don’t think so, I think the reason is the same reason traffic on I 95 slows down when someone changes a tire. As a society, We love a train wreck. We cannot turn our head from what Don Henley so eloquently called “Dirty Laundry” We don’t care about Paris or Britney’s music, we know it’s manufactured crap, We are infatuated with failure. I think we feel better about ourselves the more we see the misdeeds and posturing of these young ladies. At the end of the day, I think I’d rather just shut off the news and listen to Don Henley anyway. Kick em When They’re Up, Kick em When They’re Down.

One Issue Voters: Part 2

By Life & Times guest blogger Tony Taylor

WARNING! This will step on your toes!

I don’t have a problem with Giuliani, many of my Christian friends think he is unthinkable because of his stance on abortion. Well, I don’t really know what my stance on abortion should be and I consider myself a believer. This is not to say I do not abhor the act. I would never consider it for a woman I had gotten pregnant and try to dissuade anyone considering such an action. However, I wonder if that’s enough. I just cannot get to the point where I feel the need to HINGE all my political and social conclusions on other individuals by their ideas on that ONE issue. I saw a movie called “Saved!” a few years ago and it is set at a Evangelical Christian School and the characters played by Macaulay Culkin and Eva Amurri are sitting at a café having coffee and see a girl from their school go into an abortion clinic wearing a trench coat and sunglasses and Eva says “There’s only one reason Christian Girls go into abortion clinics.” To which, Macaulay Culkin exclaims “She’s planting a pipe bomb?” “Ok, two reasons,” retorts Eva. It was a classic one liner. My point is I just cannot see myself being that appalled at abortion that I let it govern my entire voting process and ideology. Although I personally would never encourage it, but aside from my alleged morality on the issue, there is a pragmatic side of me that thinks it would be such a social upheaval in this country that legally—I’d rather just leave the issue as is and move on. Does this make me a sell out as a Christian? Does this taint every other aspect of my faith, my salvation, and relationship with my Lord? Am I sellout like Ice Cube going from NWA preaching about racism and the evil of the L.A. police to doing Disney movies like “Are We There Yet?”
I once had an Economics Professor tell me he felt it wasn’t an issue to take on legally, but economically. He said if eliminated the need for abortion from a demand side, rather than supply side both sides of the issue would feel better resolve. His Keynesian idea was basically If we simply found enough adoptive homes and enough financial resources for these mothers to live and raise these children would that sway them and thereby palliate both opposing sides of the issue.
This same brilliant Professor also told me “As long as there isn’t a war or any major catastrophes going on, it really doesn’t matter who is elected as President. “’Just watch the Federal Reserve my boy,” He’d say. Watch what they do to affect monetary supply and rates. He’d also tell me to watch the Congress to see what went on. The President was a minor role to my third favorite economist. It reminded me a great deal of Billy Murray’s great speech in Meatballs entitled “It Just Doesn’t Matter.” Well, I’ve written far more than I intended, but I was listening to The Who’s “Who’s Next” while I did it and it just finished the entire cd. “Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss,” my friends.

Read One Issue Voters: Part 1 here

One Issue Voters: Part 1

By Life & Times guest blogger Tony Taylor

WARNING! This might step on your toes!

In Life & Times a few weeks back, Chris had made mention of something that really got me thinking a great deal. He pointed out that Fred Thompson would make a good President, but also pointed out that so would any of the other candidates. To me, that statement was a full bodied cabernet of intelligent thought. I have been a huge Who fan my entire life and began listening to The Who when I was 4 years old and my father bought me the LP for “Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy". I’m now 32 and am really beginning to realize how utterly brilliant Pete Townsend was when he uttered the phrase “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” (from the song entitled “Won’t Get Fooled Again”)
I wanted to use this post to “think out loud” about some thoughts I have been posturing lately about the role of President, the media, and Christianity. Now, after spending most of the last year in New York, Rudy Giuliani has gotten more positive media coverage regionally for me than any other candidate. Since getting to Florida three days ago, 5 people I have been having conversations with have mentioned that they like Fred Thompson because he’s a “good ole’ boy” from Tennessee. I think it’s a regional thing, but I like Fred Thompson because he was a fellow at the American Free Enterprise Institute and because he has a “hot trophy wife.” All my years of working on Palm Beach really jaded me on the wife front. I remember one day at The Breakers when I met a 67 year old guest with a 26 year old model of wife and asked him aside “guy style.” “How’d you do it man?” And he replied “Son, if you play your cards right in life and make enough money, your wife hasn’t even been born yet.” After our high five, I ruminated on the glory of the words he had given me as if this man that owned 90% of the trailer parks in the “Mayberry Triangle” of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida Panhandle was Tolstoy. As far as my earlier Pete Townsend Quote, Thompson seems to scream that quote to me after growing up during the Reagan era, but Thompson I think is far more brilliant of a guy.

Any thoughts?

More George Bailey, Less Mr. Potter

By Life & Times guest blogger Tony Taylor

Last night my friend Bob came over to hang out with me. Bob is a solid guy, knows a great deal about every topic you could present in true Cliff Clavin fashion. I met Bob at a Cigar Shop in Lake Worth (a seaside SoFlo community) I frequent and sometimes hang out and sit a spell in… Whenever you hear about the health detriments of smoking I think the social benefits of the occasional smoke should also well be mentioned. We had some take out, lit up some Camacho Nicaraguan Maduro’s and had a great conversation catching up on each other’s lives, Bob was relating to me this new ministry he has started where he teaches boys who don’t have fathers how to bass fish and mentor and minister to them. Now Bob did this not ought of any obligation to a church, not out of any self gain; in fact it is very financially hard for him to carry this out. Bob felt that this was the best way he could serve His Savior.
Today I went to see a pastor friend of mine speak at his church’s main service. Now after the services, as I was leaving I had to opportunity to briefly converse with his parents before I left. Now, I have been doing a lot of soul searching and introspection lately about if I should be in New York, If I should be doing what I am doing, am I using my gifts fully now… The stuff that I think drives most Thirty-something’s crazy. Well, without missing a beat, out of the blue, my friend’s father gave me some words and advice that really meant a lot to me and spoke volumes in two or three sentences.
Anyway, what I really realized today is that when you surround yourself with the right people, you will never cease to be amazed at what you can learn, what you can find, and what you need to do. I am beginning to realize how important it is to just listen sometimes. I would encourage all of you this week, just to spend time with those people that have an impact on your life or you know you could have an impact on theirs. My post last month dealt with the lack of time free time. Well, I have been in Florida for almost 3 days now relaxing and reconnecting with people and I cannot convey strongly enough to you how important it is continue growing the strong relationships and friendships in your lives. I want to really make a huge effort to begin to be more the “George Bailey” in my community and less the “Mr Potter.” I’d encourage all of you the same.

WARNING TO ALL YOUNG ADULTS!

By Life & Times guest blogger Tony Taylor

You will wake up one day, probably between 31-33 and ask yourself "what happened to my life"? Throughout my 20s, I found myself well able to be gainfully employed, volunteer a few evenings a week at a church, socialize with friends almost every night, play my guitar, and watch reruns of Cheers and Night Court ad nausaum. Today, I find myself working around 70 hours a week, spending my free time reading research for work or studying for NASD exams. My social life has been reduced to clients and coworkers. I have to employ a cleaning lady to come to apartment once a week, I have all my laundry sent out, and I have not had a home cooked meal in 6 weeks. Now, part of this is due to my job, part is just due to the fact that I've been in New York for 6 weeks and that's just the way things are done here.
At the end of the day though, this whole issue of lacking free time is something that I know is plaguing thirty-somethings nationwide in all career types. Be it constraints of a new family or work, I think all of us that were once labeled "Gen-X" are now echoing those famous words of Ray Davies, "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?" In the last year I cannot tell you how many cds, books and dvds I have purchased on Amazon.com that I still have not even opened. (Amazon.com is an addiction I think economically eclipses that of heroine, crystal meth, and cocaine per capita quite easily for people our age). Timothy Leary once said "Tune In, Tune out, and Drop Out." Reject society, Reject the materialism. Well, people did that for a while, enjoyed it, relaxed, grew their hair, but then they realized how dreadful life was without money, got their act together, got jobs or started businesses and now all live in subdivisions, have two cars, play golf, and listen to adult contemporary radio. I think sometimes about dropping out, but I love material things!
I guess my point is this, am I just having growing pains with adulthood? Am I just having the same pangs of maturity that our parents once fealt? Or do I need to re-examine my life and what is truly important. I started this piece as a warning to young adults and will end it that way as well. Enjoy every minute. Eat as much Taco Bell as you can, when you get older it will gross you out. Drink as many Slurpees as possible, when you get older you won't like 7-Eleven as much. Listen to Prince's "Rasberry Beret" as much as possible so you can sing it to your children as they are lulled to sleep and finally, if any of you youngsters coming up do come up with a way to do things better, a better way to "do life," let me know. I really think you guys will do it better--mainly because your generation is lazy, but at the end of the day--you can't argue with inspiration